The Remodeled Blog

Scooting

So I am thinking about getting a scooter.

Seriously, how cute is this!  It is modern, but with a vintage flare. Ooo…I am in love. Some of its finer points:

80 mpg!!!!!

Yeah, since we have topped $4.00 a gallon, this is becoming a really tempting alternative to my car.

Before you even ask what I would do in bad weather, I would not get rid of my car. I would only ride during good weather and not on the highway. I would take 5&10 to work. It would add about 15 minutes to my commute, but that is ok.

So I would save gas, more than double, reduce wear and tear on my car, better on emissions and the environment and fun. Though, it is more dangerous than a car because it is a bike.

I have not made any decision yet, but I am researching. I would have to take a motorcycle safety course and get a moto license. I would need a helmet and riding jacket and gloves and rain gear (just in case).  But just think how cute I would look and feel on that little scooter!  Yum!

Recyling Makes You A Better Person

I think it is possible that recycling might make you a better person. I don’t mean in a self indulgent, look how I am saving the world and you aren’t, kind of way. I mean in the general awareness that it brings to you.

I live in a community that has curb side recycling and charges for your trash. Basically, you buy city trash bags at the grocery store and the garbage men will only pick up the town bags. We have no utility bill for garbage or recycling, just the bags. At first I was not to thrilled about the idea of paying for my trash on bag at a time, but now I like it.

First, if you are paying for your trash, bag by expensive bag, you really want reduce the amount of trash you produce. With curbside recycling I am far more encouraged to wash out those plastic containers and recycle them and buy things with less packaging.

Second, as you fill up each and every bag, you are amazed at how much trash you can actually produce. It is astonishing. The immediate effect of my new trash awareness was shame. I was ashamed at how much trash we were producing.

Since living in this town, we recycle everything we possibly can. We compost everything that doesn’t have a face. We are using reusable shopping bags. I try to buy things without packaging, or little packaging. I put my fruits and veggies in one bag when possible. And after all of this, and some good composting methodology realizations, we just hit a trash producing landmark. We created only one bag of trash per two people in two weeks.

This is why I think that recycling makes you a better person. The effects of such a simple act seems to bring so much awareness to the impact of our existence. The more we do, the more we want to do because there is a pride to knowing that I am not trashing up the world.

Onward and upward! Saving money, saving the planet. It doesn’t get much better than that.

P.S. The photo is from a trash shadow art show. Amazing what trash can be turned into, click the link to see more from that show.

Three Cheers for Water!

On March 20 Dean Kamen was on the Colbert Report. This is where you ask why you should care. Well here is why, this guy wants to rid the world of water based disease, which makes ups 50% of the planets disease, and he has invented the tool to do it. He has invented a Vapor Compression Distiller that will remove any toxin or contaminant from water. It will remove feces, urine, hexavalentchromium, and as Steven Colber proves….Doritos. Dean Kamen has the lofty and admirable goal of riding the world of water born disease causing pathogens…or simply put rid the world of disease. Watch the video and see why he could win a nobel prize for this invention.

Day After Tomorrow, today? Ice Shelf Breaks Off

Ever see the movie The Day After Tomorrow?

Well, it seems to be happening today. The movie starts with a portion of an antarctic ice shelf the size of Rhode Island breaking off. This is the set up in the movie for a potential global warming catastrophe. Well, today, an ice shelf seven times the size of Manhattan just broke off. Scientists were not particularly shocked that this happen, they were more surprised that it happened 15-30 years earlier than anticipated. There is something to be said for the early bird getting the worm, but this is a bit much. Not to mention that from an extremists view point, there might not be any worms to get because they will all be frozen and underwater….hey if you don’t believe me watch the movie, everyone knows Hollywood is never wrong. Ok, so maybe the land hurricanes and tidal waves that take out New York City are not imminent, but it does indicate that global warming is acting faster than anticipated.

This is not the largest ice shelf to break off. The Larsen Ice Shelf, which collapsed in 2002, was much larger. This one dwarfed than Rhode Island. But this newest ice shelf is a piece of one of the largest ice shelfs, the Wilkins Ice Shelf. We are lucky that it is a floating ice shelf so it won’t cause a rise in sea level….seriously though, this is not good. Some scientists are calling this a tipping point in global climate. This chunk is only about 4% of this ice shelf, but another much larger section is being held on by a thin strip of ice. Scientists are worried that this small piece breaking off will set off larger pieces breaking off, kind of like an ice shelf domino effect.

So what are you doing to save the world? because I think we all need to step up our efforts.

Saving the World with Clean Teeth!

A few months ago I decided to switch toothpaste. In part I made the change because I questioned the amount of sugar in mainstream toothpaste. Why do we want sugar in our toothpaste? Isn’t that contributing to the problems we are trying to combat by brushing? Another reason was I thought it might be better for the environment or at least beneficial to support an environmentally aware company. The real reason is far more ambiguous, it just seemed like a good idea. So we tried a couple of different kinds. Due to my serious propensity towards cavities, I needed to have fluoride! So, we started using Tom’s of Maine.

I love it! It tastes good. It does a great job cleaning my teeth! It is like my mouth is on a diet and really happy about it!

Tom’s doesn’t use sugar or artificial sweeteners. So the toothpaste is not as sweet as a mainstream brand like Crest or Colgate, but it is still sweet. At first I wasn’t quite sure about it, because I was so use to the sugary flavor of my Colgate. But every time I thought about that, I realized how stupid that was in relation to toothpaste. After about a week I was fully accustomed to the wonderful natural minty flavor of Tom’s.

Apparently there are health benefits as well. On their website there were customer reviews that said they stopped getting mouth ulcers since they started using Toms. Also, if you are an anti-fluoride person, they have toothpaste without it. All their products are free of artificial dyes, sweeteners, preservatives, so if it doesn’t come directly from nature it is not going in their products.

Since switching, besides discovering how it is better for my health, I have found that it is a good move for the environment.

How is it good for the environment?

well I am glad you asked…

• the tubes are aluminum and recyclable (if your town won’t recycle them you can send the old tubes back to Tom’s and they will recycle for you! Tom’s of Maine, Consumer Dialogue Team, 302 Lafayette Center, Kennebunk, ME 04043)…seriously, how cool is that!
• Actually everything they do they try to make recyclable, check out their company motto:

“To be distinctive in products and policies which honor and sustain our natural world”

• no petroleum (yeah, there is oil in your toothpaste….gross!)
• All green packaging (even their ink is soy based!)

If you want to read all about their environmentally safe practices and how they are an amazingly green company go here.

If you want to switch your toothpaste to Tom’s you can most likely find it in your local grocery store. But if you prefer, click below.

If you do switch, you are probably wondering what to do with your old toothpaste. Well if you don’t have anyone you want to give it too or oddly seem to have a storehouse of half used toothpaste under the sink, like I do, here is a list of other uses for old toothpaste.

• Remove scuffs from shoes
  A little toothpaste does an amazing job of removing scuffs from leather shoes. Just squirt a dab on the scuffed area and rub with a soft cloth. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. The leather will look like new.
• Clean your piano keys
  Has tickling the ivories left them a bit dingy? Clean them up with toothpaste and a toothbrush, then wipe them down with a damp cloth. Makes sense, since ivory is essentially elephant teeth. However, toothpaste will work just as well on modern pianos that usually have keys covered with plastic rather than real ivory.
• Spiff up your sneakers
  Want to clean and whiten the rubber part of your sneakers? Get out the non-gel toothpaste and an old toothbrush. After scrubbing, clean off the toothpaste with a damp cloth.
• Clean your clothes iron
  The mild abrasive in non-gel toothpaste is just the ticket for scrubbing the gunk off the bottom plate of your clothes iron. Apply the toothpaste to the cool iron, scrub with a rag, then rinse clean.
• Polish a diamond ring
  Put a little toothpaste on an old toothbrush and use it to make your diamond ring sparkle instead of your teeth. Clean off the residue with a damp cloth.
• Deodorize baby bottles
  Baby bottles inevitably pick up a sour-milk smell. Toothpaste will remove the odor in a jiffy. Just put some on your bottle brush and scrub away. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.
• Prevent fogged goggles
  Whether you are doing woodworking or going skiing or scuba diving, nothing is more frustrating (and sometimes dangerous) than fogged goggles. Prevent the problem by coating the goggles with toothpaste and then wiping them off.
• Prevent bathroom mirrors from fogging
  Ouch! You cut yourself shaving and it’s no wonder — you can’t see your face clearly in that fogged-up bathroom mirror. Next time, coat the mirror with non-gel toothpaste and wipe it off before you get in the shower. When you get out, the mirror won’t be fogged.
• Shine bathroom and kitchen chrome
  They make commercial cleaners with a very fine abrasive designed to shine up chrome, but if you don’t have any handy, the fine abrasive in non-gel toothpaste works just as well. Just smear on the toothpaste and polish with a soft, dry cloth.
• Clean the bathroom sink
  Non-gel toothpaste works as well as anything else to clean the bathroom sink. The tube’s sitting right there, so just squirt some in, scrub with a sponge, and rinse it out. Bonus: The toothpaste will kill any odors emanating from the drain trap.
• Remove crayon from walls
  Did crayon-toting kids get creative on your wall? Roll up your sleeves and grab a tube of non-gel toothpaste and a rag or — better yet — a scrub brush. Squirt the toothpaste on the wall and start scrubbing. The fine abrasive in the toothpaste will rub away the crayon every time. Rinse the wall with water.
• Remove ink or lipstick stains from fabric
  Oh no, a pen opened up in the pocket of your favorite shirt! This may or may not work, depending on the fabric and the ink, but it is certainly worth a try before consigning the shirt to the scrap bin. Put non-gel toothpaste on the stain and rub the fabric vigorously together. Rinse with water. Did some of the ink come out? Great! Repeat the process a few more times until you get rid of all the ink. The same process works for lipstick.
• Remove watermarks from furniture
  You leave coasters around. But some people just won’t use them. To get rid of those telltale watermark rings left by sweating beverages, gently rub some non-gel toothpaste on the wood with a soft cloth. Then wipe it off with a damp cloth and let it dry before applying furniture polish.
• Remove beach tar
  Getting that black beach tar on your feet can put a small crimp in your vacation, but it is easy enough to remove. Just rub it with some non-gel toothpaste and rinse.
• Clear up pimples
  Your teenager is bemoaning a prominent pimple, and the day before the dance too! Tonight, have her or him dab a bit of non-gel, nonwhitening toothpaste on the offending spot, and it should be dried up by morning. The toothpaste dehydrates the pimple and absorbs the oil. This remedy works best on pimples that have come to a head. Caution: This remedy may be irritating to sensitive skin.
• Clean smells from hands
  The ingredients in toothpaste that deodorize your mouth will work on your hands as well. If you’ve gotten into something stinky, wash your hands with toothpaste, and they’ll smell great.

So have fun with you old and new toothpaste!